Representations of war do not take away from power of Cenotaph

January 13, 2016 · 0 Comments

As a reservist serving with the Nova Scotia Highlanders, my son Daniel Clarry spent July 2015 serving as a sentry at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Ottawa.
He said it was the most humbling thing he has ever done in his young life.
His mother and I spent several days at the Tomb reflecting on the sacrifice of others and what those sacrifices mean to the families of those who currently serve and for those that have died serving their country.
The Tomb is located at the National War Memorial.
Atop the Memorial is a statue honouring the sacrifices in Canada’s wars from South Africa to Afghanistan, replete with representations of the weapons of war.
The National War Memorial and the Tomb do not glorify war. They honour sacrifice. The presence of representations of war does not take away from the power or solemnity of the Memorial or the Tomb.
To those who think a LAV has no place at the Cenotaph, I look forward to their campaign to remove the representation of the weapons of war from that special place in Ottawa.

Paul Clarry
Aurora